Trash talk and athletes getting under their opponents’ skin often can work as an advantage.
From the Dillon Brooks and Richard Shermans of the world, 49ers general manager John Lynch has no issue with a little crossfire between players all in good competition. That applies to San Francisco wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who recently was called out by Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Shelby Harris.
While Lynch acknowledged there’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed, all is fair if you can back your talk with action.
“Yeah, there’s a line [you don’t cross]. We’ve seen some terrible stuff, spitting and all that. But Jauan never does that,” Lynch explained Tuesday on KNBR’s “Murph & Markus.” “I’m not out there, so I don’t know exactly what he says. But there are people I trust who are out there and have heard it. I don’t think Jauan said anything [bad]. I can’t speak for Shelby Harris.
“What I do know is Jauan plays incredibly hard and he plays through the echo of the whistle. That’s how I was taught to play. I understand that can be frustrating for opposing players because they’re not used to it.”
Jennings’ playstyle reminds Lynch of another Bay Area star athlete up the road in San Francisco.
“I kind of liken it to Draymond [Green],” Lynch said. “Draymond plays so hard that he’s an irritant. That’s very similar. Jauan plays really hard to the whistle and frankly, we aren’t used to receivers doing that. He’s exceptionally strong, so he tosses these guys around. It’s a great thing that he’s on our side. I don’t believe that he crosses the line with the things he says out there. I think he just gets under people’s skin because he plays a certain way.
“I can tell you this: they all wish he was on their team, so we love having him on ours.”
Green has been a pest for the entire NBA over the past decade-plus — both with his stellar defense and with his mouth. The latter has gotten him in trouble at times, something Lynch and the 49ers won’t want Jennings to follow.
Jennings had instances with opposing players in the 49ers’ last two games, first with Carolina Panthers safety Tre’von Moehrig and then with the comments from Harris.
As long as Jennings continues to help the 49ers positively on the field, the team is fine with the receiver’s persona off of it.
After all, it’s never a bad thing to be compared to a four-time champion.
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